More and more, it seems like stress and anxiety-related health issues are becoming increasingly prevalent. It might be that we are getting more stressed out as a society, or that we understand the health effects that stress and anxiety can have on the entire body. Or it might be a combination of both. Regardless, stress and anxiety are at all-time highs and many of us are looking to traditional and non-traditional approaches to reduce our levels. This is where for some people, reflexology can really be helpful.
In the first part of the article, we looked at what reflexology is and how it is typically done when you go in for an appointment. Now it’s time to look at how it can help us in terms of reducing our levels of stress and anxiety.
First, it’s important to go over how stress can impact the heart. A study conducted by researchers from Duke University Medical Center on the effects of stress from common events on the heart found that the more angry, sad, and stressed you are, the less able your heart is to respond in an effective way.
As we talked about in the first portion of this article, reflexology assumes that we are interconnected in our bodies and that the feet in particular have many areas that connect directly to other parts of the body. When we are stressed out and feeling anxious, reflexology may help us get better by helping the lymph systems move along and drain better as well as relax the muscles and stimulate the paths our nerves take.
A Chinese study found how reflexology can help improve the effects of great stress. Twenty patients, who were all being treated for neurasthenia, a health condition that involves huge emotional stress, went through reflexology sessions conducted at the hospital’s physiology department. The reflexology treatments really focused on the parts of the feet that correspond to the kidneys, bladder, adrenal glands, brain, heart and more—basically, all of the main areas of the body that are affected by stress the most.
The reflexology treatments were given to the subjects once a day for one week. After the study was over, 40 percent of the subjects reported a complete cure, 35 percent was greatly improved, and 15 percent were mildly improved. Ten percent didn’t notice any change at all.
As discussed in the first article, reflexology is believed to improve blood circulation, help release toxins from the body, and increase the release of endorphins, which in turn may lead to a decreased level of stress. These changes also help the body get rid of wastes easier and improve the body’s assimilation of nutrients. These benefits in turn may help stimulate the immune system, cause the body to eliminate waste and increase the way nutrients are processed.
From what I’ve researched and from talking with my friend who gave me the gift card to a reflexology center, reflexology really can help people feel better. It’s similar in some ways to massage, but what makes reflexology nice for some people is that you can get it done by just removing your shoes and socks, as opposed to most of your clothing before a massage.
I’m very curious to know what you think about reflexology and especially if you’ve tried it yourself. As I mentioned before, I have a gift card to a local reflexology center and after writing this article I’m inspired to make an appointment. Have you gone to a reflexologist? If so, what did you think?
References:
http://healing.about.com/od/reflexology/a/stress_reflex.htm
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/therapiesfromrtoz/a/Reflexology.htm